The biggest problem of helmet makers is not only to convince more bikers to wear helmets or to wear non-novelty helmets. It’s also to manufacture safer ones for your protection and be less prone to lawsuits. These companies will admit that helmet technology didn’t progress very much since the turn of the century.

But a new technology may be close to offering those who ride a helmet with a better fit, reducing energy to the head in case of impact.

After successful beta testing, Bell helmets is about to propose a simple scanning process of your head to produce the unique helmet fitting you the best and being the safest possible for your head shape.

Here’s how it works. First, you put on a small cap and sit in a chair. A Bell technician moves a small scanning wand in circle around your head. A 3D image of your skull is generated by a computer in about 30 seconds. From that, Bell makes a custom-fit helmetand sends it to you in four to six weeks. Digital precision allows for helmets to be manufactured less expensively, without as much excess foam.

This year, Bell will bring its new technology first to racing events then expect to have it offered in about 20 retail stores carrying their brand. For now, the custom-fit scanning capability will be only available for motorcycle helmets. Eventually, Bell could use it for all different kinds of protective headwear. Will head scanning technology catch up with bikers? Are they ready to wait six weeks to get the helmet model they want? Answer to these questions will decide if Bell is about to re-write helmet history.

The REAL reason behind the majority of serious- and fatal motorcycle injuries, is overcrowded roads, specifically four-and-more-wheeled vehicles – SUV’s in particular (SUV’s should be banned outright – it is a vehicular insanity of note).

The clinical verity: the world has an over-population problem and not a head-gear problem.

SIGFREED in the scheme of things quality helmets are a good safety item, but it’s the massive the chest injuries that kill bikers off.

Your neck brace comment makes sense for race cars, and very little for motorcyclists. When motoGP stars slide down the track at over 120mph they rarely get injuries from the weight of the helmet bobbing around on their neck. HANS devices are great if you drive a Sprint Car or a F1 car to work.

Fredp, The hump on the back of motoGP race leather suits is for high speed aerodynamics, and some riders have small hydration systems in them. They have zilch to do with neck stability or bracing in a crash.

SIGFREED, “The helmet debate” is over, unless you count some little libertarian village packin’ guns’n’beans’n’gold in them hills up there. I’ll happily visit that hamlet, but I sure ain’t living there. The adults have spoken: wear a good quality helmet. The “freedom” to slam your bare head on the hotmix at 50mph is very overrated.

The motoGP and WSBK racers I’ve known are fit, but nowhere near amazing athletes. Most, but not all, are actually quite slight, light weight, lightly muscled and rather weak. Maybe you were thinking of WWE?

The average Joe should probably stay inside the pickup for safety, there might be critters or other trucks out there somewhere. You never know.

Helmets are like mandated health insurance, they might kill you with kindness and take your very soul.

I would love to have a custom helmet made for me if they were able to reduce the overall size and weight. I wear an XL helmet and it catches a ton of wind at 75mph forcing my neck backwards and causing a literal pain in the neck after a long ride.